The Mating Mind - How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature

Geoffrey Miller

Anchor Books

2000

528 páginas

17h 36m

ISBN-10: 038549517X

At once a pioneering study of evolution and an accessible and lively reading experience, The Mating Mind marks the arrival of a prescient and provocative new science writer. Psychologist Geoffrey Miller offers the most convincing–and radical–explanation for how and why the human mind evolved.

Consciousness, morality, creativity, language, and art: these are the traits that make us human. Scientists have traditionally explained these qualities as merely a side effect of surplus brain size, but Miller argues that they were sexual attractors, not side effects. He bases his argument on Darwin’s theory of sexual selection, which until now has played second fiddle to Darwin’s theory of natural selection, and draws on ideas and research from a wide range of fields, including psychology, economics, history, and pop culture. Witty, powerfully argued, and continually thought-provoking, The Mating Mind is a landmark in our understanding of our own species.

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5 (Perfeito)

A Mente Seletiva

Muitos enigmas cercam a evolução da mente humana, desde o "como" até o "porquê", e a teoria da seleção natural ainda não explicou completamente a rapidez desse processo. Neste livro inovador da ciência evolutiva, o autor explora esses mistérios, destacando o papel da escolha sexual e discutindo por que nossos ancestrais eram atraídos não apenas por características físicas, mas também por traços mentais como sagacidade e generosidade. Geoffrey F. Miller, pesquisador sênior no Centre for Economic Learning and Social Evolution da University College, em Londres, combina biologia evolutiva, economia e psicologia para iluminar seus argumentos, recorrendo a exemplos que vão desde a história natural até a cultura popular.